The Early Life Of Adam Pelech
The Pelech Posse is a term any Islanders fan is likely to have heard by now. The fandom and following surrounding Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech has grown over the last few weeks and for good reason. Many Islanders fans believe that Adam Pelech is an underrated, underappreciated player and for good reason. But where did Adam Pelech come from? What was his early life like? Today, we dive into the early life of Adam Pelech.
Adam Pelech was born on Aug. 16, 1994 in Toronto, Ontario. His older brother, Matt Pelech, was drafted 26th overall in the 2005 NHL draft by the Calgary Flames. However, the older Pelech saw little time in the NHL only playing in 13 career games. Only five of these were with Calgary, and played the rest in San Jose. However, he did have a long playing career in leagues such as the AHL, EBEL, and most recently, the DEL.
Adam’s uncle, Mike Gillis, was drafted into the NHL 5th overall by the Colorado Rockies (now the New Jersey Devils) in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft. However, he never truly lived up to the expectations of being a top five pick, only playing 125 career games across seven seasons. However, Gillis did see success as the General Manager of the Canucks, during his tenure, the Canucks won the presidents trophy in back to back seasons and made the Stanley Cup final in 2011 for the first time since 1994.
Pelech grew up in a hockey family and in a hockey town. In 2009 at the age of 15, Pelech began his junior hockey career playing for the Toronto Marlboros. At the age of 17, Pelech had moved to the OHL and signed for the Erie Otters. Pelech spent four full seasons with the Otters. Between 2012 and 2014, Pelech scored 17 goals and had 77 assists. Not bad for a defensive defenseman.
On June 23, 2012, Adam Pelech was selected 65th overall by the New York Islanders. However, it would be three years until he made his NHL debut. Over that time, he played for both the Otters and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Pelech also spent time representing his country, participating in both the U18 and U20 world juniors.
When Pelech made his NHL debut on Nov. 15, 2015, little was known, or expected from the young defenseman. However, in just a few years, Pelech became a mainstay of the Islanders defense. His defensive mindset and lockdown ability made him very valuable to a Barry Trotz lead Islanders. When he went down with an achilles injury in early January of this past season, the Islanders were never able to return to their early season success.
Subjectively speaking, defenseman Pelech is a very under appreciated player. He is not a guy that will fill up the stat sheet with goals and assist. He’s not an Erik Karlsson type guy that can set up play all by himself. That isn’t where Pelech is most valuable. Pelech is the kind of guy that will make the big plays, come up clutch when it matters, and be a team player. Every team needs an Adam Pelech!
